This invention relates to a retaining arrangement. More particularly, the invention relates to a retaining arrangement for retaining at least one key holder. The key holder is of a type comprising a tag suspended from a ring. The ring also holds at least one key and often includes additional items such as remote control devices.
Where a large number of keys are stored at a central location it is important to be able to ascertain readily when such keys are absent. Examples of places where a large number of key holders are located include motor vehicle service stations, motor vehicle sales lots, a caretaker""s office in a building, a real estate office, or the like.
Further, it is often necessary to be able to make those keys available to personnel for various purposes and, in such circumstances, a person in authority must be able to determine if any keys have been removed from the central location.
To date, as far as the applicant is aware, keys have been stored on boards by being suspended from hooks. Such storage arrangements are not secure and any unauthorised personnel can easily remove key holders from such storage arrangements.
These storage arrangements may, if desired, be contained within a cabinet. However, once the cabinet has been opened, unauthorised access can again be gained to the key holders on the storage arrangement.
In addition, the key holders are not securely held on such a storage arrangement and they often fall off.
Still further, when there are a large number of key holders on such a storage arrangement it is difficult to tell if any key holders have been removed, particularly where the key holders contain large bunches of keys.
According to the invention, there is provided a retaining arrangement for retaining a key holder of a type comprising a tag suspended from a ring with the ring also holding at least one key, the retaining arrangement including:
a surface defining element; and
at least one retaining means defined by the surface defining element, the at least one retaining means being shaped and dimensioned to receive the tag of the key holder through it such that the at least one key of the key holder lies on one side of the surface defining element and the tag lies on an opposed, operatively outer side of the surface defining element.
Preferably, the surface defining element is a planar element in the form of a panel.
The at least one retaining means may be in the form of a substantially T-shaped slot defined in the panel, the slot being shaped and dimensioned to hold the key on said one side of the panel, the ring being at least partially received within the slot and the tag being arranged on the opposed side of the panel.
The slot may be substantially cruciform in shape having a longitudinal part and a transverse part which intersects the longitudinal part. The transverse part of the slot may intersect the longitudinal part inwardly of one end of the longitudinal part so that said one end of the longitudinal part extends beyond the transverse part. If desired, the transverse part may have a stepped or castellated appearance for facilitating insertion of the tag through the slot. The longitudinal part of the slot may have a length which allows it to accommodate the ring of more than one key holder.
Preferably, a plurality of slots is defined in the surface defining element so that the surface defining element can hold a number of key holders.
The surface defining element may include a mounting formation for mounting it to a support structure. The mounting formation may be a hinge for hingedly attaching the surface defining element to the support structure. The arrangement may include a locking means carried on the surface defining element for locking the surface defining element in position relative to the support structure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the surface defining element may be pivotally arranged, via its hinge, relative to the support structure to pivot between a first, locked position and a second, unlocked position.
The support structure may include a backing member which is arranged adjacent the one side of the surface defining element so that, when the surface defining element is in its locked position relative to the support structure, the backing member inhibits unauthorised removal of the key holder from its associated slot of the surface defining element.
More particularly, the backing member may be a second surface defining element hingedly carried by the support structure, the surface defining elements being spaced from each other by a gap so that, when both surface defining elements are in their locked position, the gap has a width dimension, as measured between the one side of the surface defining element and an operatively outer side of the second surface defining element, which is less than a length of a shortest key carried by a key holder of either surface defining element for inhibiting unauthorised withdrawal of the key holder from its associated surface defining element. In addition, where the key holder holds thin keys, ie, keys not much thicker than the tag, an excluder element may be mounted on the ring of the key holder. The excluder element may be a block of synthetic plastics material which is significantly larger than the transverse part of the slot to inhibit withdrawal of the excluder element through the transverse part of the slot.
The gap may be defined by complementary lips extending at right angles from the surface defining elements, the lips abutting or overlying one another when both surface defining elements are in their locked position relative to the support structure.
Instead of the backing member being another surface defining element, the backing member may, for example, be a back wall of the support structure or may be a sheet of an elastomeric material which lies in close proximity to, or bear against, the surface defining element when the surface defining element is in its locked position.
Preferably, the support structure is a cabinet with the, or each, surface defining element being hingedly mounted in a chamber defined by the cabinet.
The chamber may be closed off by a closure element, the closure element including a locking device for locking it in position relative to the cabinet. The closure element may be the surface defining element. In that event, the locking device of the closure element may be the locking means of the surface defining element.
The closure element and a closure element surround of the cabinet may have anti-jemmying features for inhibiting unauthorised access being gained to the chamber of the cabinet.
The anti-jemmying features of the surround and of the closure element may comprise complementary re-entrant lips. Should an attempt be made to jemmy such lips, it causes the lip of the closure element to engage the lip of the surround to lock the closure element in position relative to the surround. In addition, the lip of the closure element may be interrupted by slots, to effectively form a plurality of tabs so that each tab is individually movable with respect to its adjacent tabs in the event that that tab is jemmied.
The cabinet may be portable, the arrangement including a mounting means for mounting the cabinet to a backing structure. The mounting means may include a securing means for lockably securing the cabinet to the backing structure.